I Can Talk to Cats C34

Chapter 34: Holding Hands on the Dark Road

Translated by Lime

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“Cheng Fengyang!” Startled, Lin Lan rushed over to him.

The people sitting next to them and the owner of the restaurant all quickly hurried over to Cheng Fengyang, causing temporary chaos and confusion.

After half an hour, Cheng Fengyang exited a small clinic nearby, accompanied by Lin Lan, Auntie Zhou, and the diner responsible for the accident.

“Fortunately, your burns weren’t severe. We were able to rinse the injury in a timely manner. If you use the eye drops as prescribed, there will be little to no damage to your eyes.” Lin Lan let out a huge sigh.

Originally, she was the one who had invited him out to eat and now this kind of accident had occurred. 

Auntie Zhou was also regretful. Although there was little she could have done to prevent the accident, it still took place in her restaurant. She had accompanied them, wanting to determine the severity of the situation. Thankfully, Cheng Fengyang’s injury had no long-lasting damage.

The most joyful person was the diner whose hand had slipped. His body had been covered in cold sweat. He thought to himself: luckily, the pot had just been brought over and the soup had not reached a boiling temperature yet. If not, his unintentional hand slip would not have resulted in a simple accident that only required him to pay meager medical fees.

“I apologize, I am extremely sorry!” The entire time, the diner lamented his mistake. In an apologetic tone, he said, “I’m truly sorry!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Although Cheng Fengyang’s two eyes could barely open and tears were continuously dripping down, he pressed a tissue to his face and assured the other person, “You didn’t do it on purpose, next time please be more careful.”

The moment the soup splashed into Cheng Fengyang’s eyes, the person had immediately yelled for medical help. After that, he accompanied him to the clinic and paid the fees, not to mention his constant apologies. His sincerity and intent were obvious. Cheng Fengyang let go of his grievances when the doctor informed him that no major damage had been caused to his eyes and they would recover after a few days. Now, Cheng Fengyang could forgive the person who caused the accident in a calm and collected state.

“Lin Lan, I just remembered that we left the roasted fish snacks and chicken leg at the restaurant. Let’s go back and pick them up.” Cheng Fengyang was even calm enough to go and collect the take-out they had ordered earlier.

“Of course!” Auntie Zhou was the first to react: “My husband has prepared them already, once we get back they should be ready!”

When they returned to the restaurant, Cheng Fengyang and Lin Lan received more than what they had previously ordered. As a form of apology, Uncle Zhou had gifted them another portion of food.

If Cheng Fengyang had any secret bitterness left from the incident, it was gone by now. Other than the fact that his eyes could barely open, his appearance showed that he held no resentment.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lin Lan was still concerned: “I’ll take you home. You should stay home and take care of your eyes the next few days.”

Cheng Fengyang had been planning to somehow stumble his way home using his impaired vision. When he heard Lin Lan’s offer, he was surprised and joked around, “How could I? As a grown adult man, how can I let a girl send me home…” 

Before he could finish, his hand was grabbed and he stumbled forward.

“If you’re a grown adult man, stop being so difficult. You’ve been injured when I was the one who asked you out to eat. It would be common decency to send you home.” Lin Lan was not in the mood to joke around. Compared to Cheng Fengyang’s laid-back attitude, Lin Lan was worried. “I don’t know which building you live in so you need to give me directions when we get there.”

“Okay, my house is pretty easy to find. The building number is #29. When you first enter through the gate, go straight and then turn right…” Cheng Fengyang listed out his address and specific directions at a moment’s notice. 

Lin Lan: “…” Luckily, she was taking a man to his house. If it was a girl, what would they do? 

She sighed and slowly led Cheng Fengyang forward according to his directions.

The light snow from earlier had stopped already and the busy crowds had mostly returned home. On these cold winter nights, few people liked to walk in these chilly temperatures and the dim, yellow street lights emitted a faint glow. The street was quiet and peaceful.

Straining to open his eyes, Cheng Fengyang could only make out a faint figure clad in red leading him. Using his ears, he heard both of their steps against the pavement. At this moment, all he could think was that the hand dragging his was exceptionally warm and soft.

Were all the hands of girls this soft? Cheng Fengyang’s cheeks reddened as he tried to recall his past experiences. How many years ago was it when he last held his older sister’s hand? He couldn’t remember an exact time. The only memory he could think of was his sister play-fighting and beating him up when he was in junior high school. He winced at the memory of her clenched fist.

After thinking back to that painful memory, Cheng Fengyang’s blush lessened and a coincidental gust of cold wind acted as the perfect explanation.

The normally chatty Cheng Fengyang was silent so Lin Lan turned around and glanced at him, only to see him using his other hand to press down on his puffy eyes. He seemed indescribably weak and fragile, almost exactly like a demure woman who had just gotten married. Thinking this way, Lin Lan couldn’t hold in her laughter.

“Don’t laugh,” Cheng Fengyang complained. “I didn’t ask to be injured.”

They had just reached an intersection and were waiting for the light to turn green before they could reach Cheng Fengyang’s neighborhood.

“It’s not that,” Lin Lan shook her head. “It’s just that you seem kind of cute right now… haha.”

As soon as she spoke, Lin Lan regretted her words. Surely, Cheng Fengyang would get angry. She was about to apologize when the man behind her fell silent, his cheeks reddening.

Lin Lan was puzzled over his strange reaction and Cheng Fengyang covered his eyes before saying, “Lin, Lin Lan, can we be considered friends that have known each other for a while now?”

Lin Lan silently admitted to herself that they had known each other for a while. They had first met a few days after she returned home and had quickly become friends. Hence, she nodded her head: “Yup.”

“Then, can we stop calling each other in such a formal way?” Cheng Fengyang shrunk his neck into his coat like he was protecting himself from the cold. In reality, he was trying to mask his nervousness. “You, you can call me Fengyang, and I’ll call you… Lan Lan?”

Lin Lan was momentarily distracted.

The hand she was holding tightened around hers.

“Ah…” Without realizing it, Lin Lan exclaimed in surprise. She realized that Cheng Fengyang’s enthusiasm and eagerness to help her when the cat cafe had just opened was not solely due to her initial help in returning the wallet.

The traffic light turned green and the cars in front of them stopped at the crosswalk. Lin Lan tightened her grip on his hand and led him across the road.

Once they reached the opposite side and walked to the entrance to Cheng Fengyang’s neighborhood, he swiped his card and they entered the gate. The two were silent the whole way.

This neighborhood was worthy of being labeled top-notch. The paved path was lined with greenery and was well-lit with metal street lights. At first glance, it was infinitely better than the “village” of the city.

There were even fewer people walking inside the neighborhood and the silence was suffocating.

Lin Lan had not spoken yet and Cheng Fengyang was tense, his mood growing more and more dejected as the silence persisted. He felt too awkward to speak, afraid that he would say something wrong again. If he had known these situations would be so unbearable, he would have gained more dating experience in his years as a college student. That way, he wouldn’t be filled with so much nervousness that he couldn’t even move or speak and his hands wouldn’t be this sweaty!

“Cheng Fengyang.”

His heart beated rapidly as Lin Lan spoke. Although she only called out his name, Cheng Fengyang calmed down since she broke her silence. She wasn’t stupid and judging from her awkward cough before she spoke, Cheng Fengyang was certain Lin Lan had realized his feelings.

So, how was she going to respond? Was she going to reject him or reject him or reject him?

As Cheng Fengyang began to think of all the possible scenarios, Lin Lan spoke again.

“I think you’ve asked me before about my life in Mo City and why I decided to move back to my hometime, right?”

Lin Lan was different from Cheng Fengyang as she had experience in romantic relationships. After she had graduated from school and entered the workplace, Lin Lan had encountered both the good and bad sides of romance. Even though the ex-boyfriend who had pursued her was now a heartless scumbag, she still knew how men thought.

“My job in Mo City was actually quite decent and at that time, I got into a relationship. His family’s financial situation wasn’t the best but he was hardworking and pretty handsome. He was considerate and treated me very well without knowing about my family’s well-off financial situation, even announcing our relationship publicly. I thought that he had a good character and it would be likely for him to find success in Mo City. So, I agreed.”

As Lin Lan reminisced, she could feel Cheng Fengyang’s hand gripping her’s tightly. Afraid that he might hurt her, his grip loosened. Lin Lan pretended she didn’t notice and continued speaking.

“In the beginning, we coexisted well together. As our relationship neared two years, I really thought we would get married… but then, he cheated. The other woman was the daughter of a wealthy family. She was both richer and more powerful than me but that didn’t deter my anger. I was extremely angry at him for breaking my trust. I was mad because he was unfaithful. However, I was more angry at my own inability to do anything. So, I resigned and spent two months preparing to take revenge. After carrying out my plan, I returned home.”

Trailing behind her, Cheng Fengyang was too shocked to even breathe a little loudly, thinking to himself that the atmosphere had somewhat changed. He knew he wasn’t scared, only feeling an unspeakable type of pain in his heart. Cheng Fengyang was clueless on how to comfort the person in front of him and his eyes blurred. He could only make out a pitiful figure in front of him illuminated by the streetlights.

Several times, Cheng Fengyang opened his mouth but didn’t know how to respond. Some part of him was aware that Lin Lan telling him about her past relationship meant she had mostly moved on.

“Now, I’m doing okay. I opened a cafe and have kitties to pet. Although the first few months after opening the cafe are hectic, once it becomes a routine and business settles down, I can live a relaxing and idle life.”

When Lin Lan mentioned her cat cafe, her tone became gentle. Compared to when she spoke about her unfaithful ex-boyfriend, it was clear she would rather spend more time thinking about the playful kitties.

“Lin Lan…” Cheng Fengyang took a moment to muster up his courage and find his words when he was interrupted by the barks of a dog. Without hesitation, he blurted, “Star!” 

The barks grew louder and Cheng Fengyang realized that his border collie had run out to welcome him home.

“We have arrived.” Lin Lan stopped in front of the entrance to his house. Glancing towards the house, she scanned the beautiful three-story villa before turning around and watching Cheng Fengyang mess around with his border collie. 

“Here’s Star’s chicken leg and your medicine. Remember to rest well the next few days and don’t venture outside.”

Cheng Fengyang was in the middle of rubbing his dog’s head when he paused at her words. Wanting to stay in her company a bit longer, he offered: “You’re here already. How about coming inside and staying for a while. My family is also home.”

“I won’t impose,” Lin Lan shook her head and politely declined, urging him towards the door. “It’s getting late and I need to hurry home as well. You should enter your home.”

When she finished speaking, she retreated a few steps. 

“Lin Lan!” Cheng Fengyang was still reluctant: “I, I…” After making her stop successfully, Cheng Fengyang was out of words. His eyes began to hurt and immediately, tears flowed out. 

The sight of a “beauty weeping” prompted Lin Lan to burst out laughing.

“I know how you feel and what you want to say. You don’t have to try this hard to try to express your feelings.” As she continued to laugh, Lin Lan waved her hand at Cheng Fengyang: “Good night, Fengyang. I have no objections to you calling me Lan Lan.”

Cheng Fengyang’s tears quickly ceased and he laid next to the gate like a fool, forcing his swollen eyes open as he sent Lin Lan off. The border collie that had rushed up to him earlier was now gnawing at the chicken leg.

Although that cheating scumbag made Lin Lan less keen to enter a romantic relationship currently, at least she didn’t hate him.

Meaning, he still had a chance!

“It’s okay, right now the position of boyfriend is temporarily unavailable but you can still be her best friend!” With a pair of swollen eyes, Cheng Fengyang struggled to form a fist with his hand. He had lived for so long and this was the first time he had met someone so compatible for him. If he gave up easily, he would be extremely foolish.

Behind him, the door to the villa opened. It was Father Cheng who had heard the commotion outside: “What are you doing!? If you’re home then hurry and enter, why are you staying outside like a fool… What happened to your eyes? You went out to eat with a girl and got hit?”

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I consider that a win for my boy Cheng Fengyang. Sorry for the delay again, I’m planning a mini-mass release of chapters (I’m thinking around 5) for the New Year so I can hopefully make up for my slow release rate these past few months. Anyways, happy holidays! Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.

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